Peters



(No Model.)

G. T. WILSON.

WHIFFLETREE HOOK.

No. 390,738. Patented Oct. 9, 1888.

I 6%, 9 m QM iinirsn STATES WATENT amen.

GEORGE T. \VILSON, OF LOYVVILLE, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO JOHN D. HOUGH, OF SAME PLACE.

-WH IFFLETREE=HOOK.

SSPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 390,738, dated October 9, 1888.

Application filed June 15, 1888.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. WILsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowville, in the county of Lewis and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vhiffletree-Hooks; and?! do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for use in attaching traces to the ends of whiffletrees, such as commonly termed whiffletree-hooks, and it has for its object to provide a simple and in expensive device of this character which may be readily attached to and used in connection with and of the Various forms of whiffletrees now in use without necessitating a change in the form of either whiffletree or traces.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain the same consists in the peculiar combinations and in the novel construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically defined in the claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improvement as in actual use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the whiftletree end, showing the relative arrangement of the connected parts, the hook in this view being shown as raised.

Reference being bad to the details of the drawings by letter, A represents the end of a whiffletree of ordinary construction, which in the present instance is shown as substantially oval or fiat upon its upper and lower faces, and with tapered and rounded end to receive the end of the trace B, which slips over the end of the whiffletree, as shown.

Serial No. 277.175. (No model.)

0 is a hollow casting, the lower side of which,

adjacent to the upper face of the whiffletree, is open, while its top and sides are closed. This casting is secured in place upon the upper face of the whiffietree at a point adjacent to its end by means of screws D D, passed through the flattened portion E, adjacent to the inner end of the casting, as shown.

F is a hook or clasp pivoted within a suitable recess, G, formed within the enlarged outer end of the casting. The construction of this hook or clasp is important, and it constitutes an essential feature of my present invention. It will be observed that the lower or base portion of the hook below the point at which it is pivoted is enlarged, and that the lower face of this enlarged portion, or that face of the hook which is adjacent to the upper face of the whiffletree when the hook is raised, as shown in Fig. 2, is concaved in a direction parallel with the length of the casting, as is clearly shown at G.

H is a flat spring arranged within the casting, one of its ends being secured near the inner end of the same by the screws D, or in any other suitable manner. The outer or free end of the spring has an upward bearing within the concaved recess G2 in the base of the hook or clasp when the hook is raised. The front and rear edges of the base of the hook adjacent to the concaved portion G are slightly beveled, as shown at G", for a purpose herein;

after described. The extreme outer end of the hookis provided with an extension, I, which serves as a handle for use in raising and lowering the hook.

In operation the hook F is raised and the end of the trace is slipped over the whifiletree end, the upward bearing of the free end of the spring H within the concaved base of the hook serving to retain the hook in its raised position. After the trace has been passed over the end of the whiflletree a slight pressure upon the rear of the projection or handle I serves to close the hook down over the end of the trace, where it will serve to prevent the trace from being laterally displaced. When the hook H has been thus closed orlowered, it will be seen that the bearing of the free end of the spring is changed from the concaved recess G in the base of the hook to the beveled portion G where it serves to secure the hook in its closed or locked position. By this con struction the use of but one hand is required in operating the fastening, as when the hook 5 is open it is retained securely in position until the trace has been adjusted, after which it may be readily locked or closed, as described. Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new is--- 10 The device described, consisting of the tapered hollow casting 0, formed with closed sides and top and open at the bottom, and provided at one end with suitable holes for the reception of the securing means, a hook piv- 15 oted within a recess in the enlarged outer end 

